Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/778575
t m c » p u l s e | j a n / f e b 2 0 1 7 36 In June, BENJAMIN K. CHU, M.D., was appointed president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System. It's the largest health system in southeast Texas, with 16 hospitals and more than 230 diagnostic and specialty centers. Chu spoke with Pulse about his first stethoscope, the mission of hospitals and using technology to increase access to quality health care. TMC Spotlight Q | What sparked your interest in health care? A | I was 3 years old, and I had just been admitted to the hospital for a suspected case of rheumatic fever, which resulted in carditis. The treatment for this was three months of bed rest in a hospital! As you can imagine, I grew restless during my time there, but one doctor provided me with a pretty interesting and novel toy to keep me entertained—a stethoscope. The first few sounds of a heartbeat had me so hooked that it's a bit of a surprise I didn't become a cardiologist. Since that time, I knew I wanted to work in medicine and take care of people. Years later, I would become an internist and my work with patients remains some of the most important work I've ever done. Q | What led you to the hallowed halls of Yale University, and as a psychology major, no less? A | I needed to get out of the city, but wanted to find a university not too far away and Yale seemed like the right fit. In the beginning, I was a mixed major because I was interested in anthropology and psychology, as well as how civilizations and cultures developed. But then, I ended up doing child psychology. Q | Where were you born and raised? A | My parents are immigrants from Canton, China. I actually grew up in Chinatown in New York City. Just as provincial as you can get, right? I attended Stuyvesant High School, a New York City public school.